Teenage father's kids sue for $1m

Garth Freeman left behind two young children after dying in a car crash.Contributed

SMS to the editor: "About the story in (Monday's) paper about the young father who died in the car crash at Redcliffe. There were two young fathers in that accident who are cousins so you publishing the story, saying that one family is sueing, has repercussions on their families.

"It's two families from one big family do you realise how much more strain you have put on them?

"And to add to the hurt that one is getting blamed. Haven't this family had enough hurt n pain witout the accusations of putting one at fault, just saying think of the families plz.'' Famz

ONE never got to meet her daddy and the other was 18 months old.

Now their family is suing for damages after losing a father, partner and bread-winner.

The million-dollar lawsuit has been lodged with the Rockhampton Supreme Court on behalf of Shian Lee-Roy Close and Lekarah Michelle Claire Masso; and their mother Taylah Le Masso by Swanwick Murray Roche lawyers.

The children's father, Garth Leeroy Freeman, was killed in a single-vehicle accident in 2008 through the negligence, the suit claims, of the driver - Ian Marshall Murphy, who also died in the crash.

The defendants listed in the lawsuit include Mr Murphy, who was Freeman's cousin, and a motor insurance company.

Mr Freeman, 16 at the time of his death, was from North Rockhampton and was passionate about art.

The Morning Bulletin reported after the accident that Mr Murphy had been in Brisbane on a holiday visiting family at the time.

He had been there for a few weeks and should have returned to Rockhampton a week before, but chose to stay and help his uncle's business and earn some extra money.

But he went for a drive with his cousin in the early hours of Saturday morning, August 2, and the car crashed into a sign on Hornibrook Esplanade at Redcliffe.

The car had failed to negotiate the bend at the end of the bridge and struck the sign.